The police in India came into being as an organised body of men by Act V of 1861. This year, the country is observing 125 years of organised policing. The Moghul system of policing continued during the early years of the East India Company. Several enquries were instituted and committees appointed by the Court of Directors of the East India Company, which accepted in September, 1954, the ned fo re-organanising the police. After the first Independence war of 1857, the Government of India appointed a Commission in 1860 to suggest measures for increasing the efficiency of the police in British India. The a860 Commission recommended the abolition of the Military Police as a separate organisation to be replaced by a well-organised civil constabulary under an Inspector General of Police with a Suprintendent of Police at District level assisted by an Assistant Suprintendent of Police. The subordinant force was to consist of Inspectors, Head Constables, Sergeants and Constables. The police was to be under the general control of the District Magistrate.

In 1860, the House of Commons i England passed the Police Act and the Indian Police legally came nto being in 1861. In the federal structure of the Constitution of India which came into force on January 26, 1950, police order and the Police were included in the Seventh Schedule on the State list. Although the police in our country have been organised State-wise and are controlled and financed by the State Governments, the Central Government has a vital role to play in the improvement of training, welfare and efficiency of policemen all over the country.

The Central Governmnet have accordingly set up a number of police training institutions, Forensic Science Laboratories and the Central Finger Print Bureau, the Bureau of Police Research and Development, the Central Bureau of Investigation, the NAtional Crime Records Bureau and a number of para-military forces like the Border Security Force and the Central Reserve Police in aid of the State plice forces.

In 1960, all the states in India decided to observe October 21 every year as a rememberance day to pay homage to the policemen who were killed on duty. On this day members of the public and the police recall the tragedy of October 21, 1959 when 10 Indian policemen were killed by the Chinese troops in Ladakh inside our territory.

The Department of Posts is happy to issue a Se-tenant set of two commemorative stamps on the 125th anniversary of Indian Police.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India